Officials Posthumously Honor Port Washington Firefighter

A Port Washington firefighter was honored posthumously on the 30-year anniversary of his death.

Robert H. Dayton, Jr. joined the Flower Hill Hose Co. No. 1 as a volunteer when he was 18 years old. He went on to serve as a professional firefighter with the FDNY at Engine Company 287 in Elmhurst.

On Nov. 26, 1988, at age 28, Dayton died while searching for occupants during a fire that injured 16 other firefighters.

He was the first firefighter lost in action from the Port Washington Volunteer Fire Department in four decades. Dayton was posthumously promoted to captain, and in 2010, Haven Avenue was renamed Captain Robert H. Dayton Way.

Assemblyman Anthony D’Urso presented Dayton's family with a New York State Assembly Proclamation.

“The Port Washington community continues to mourn and honor the loss of Captain Robert H. Dayton, Jr., as exemplified by the renaming of Haven Avenue to Captain Robert H. Dayton Way in 2010,” D’Urso said.

Photo via Office of D'Urso: Assemblyman Anthony D’Urso presenting a New York State Assembly Proclamation to the family of Captain Robert H. Dayton, Jr